Process of treating kelp char. &amp;c.



F. VAN D. CRUSER. PROCESS OF TREATING KELP CHAR, 6w.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJO. I916.

-' 1,258,320. Patented Mair. 5, 1918.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK VAN DYKE CRUSER, OF OSWEGO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE DIAMOND MATCH COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF TREATING KELR CHAR, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 5, 1918.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK V. D. CRUsna, a citizen of the United States, and resident of the cit and county of Oswego and State of New hork, have mventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Kelp Char, &c., of which the following is a specification.

' This inventionrelates to a process of treating kelp charv and analogous substance for the extraction more especially of the soluble salts therefrom. I

According to the invention the char is subjected in a simple and economical manner to successive extraction operations whereby the containedsalts are effectually removed from the char and a more or less saturated solution of the salts, in prime condition for evaporation treatment, is obtained.

In carrying out the invention I prefer to employ a series of extractor vats, and corn; plementary storage tanks for the solutions obtained in the vats, together with the requisite appurtenances for the vats and tanks. The first extraction from the fresh char is performed in the first vat and the second extraction from the char thus treated is accomplishedin the second vat, and so on, a such first extraction being efi'ected through the agency of the liquor which has been used in the other extraction operations; that is to say, each fresh batch of char is subjected to the action of liquor which has been used for several extractions on other batches of char successively, such liquor when applied to and drained from the fresh char in the first vat thus comprising mainly a saturated solution of potassium and other salts which were extracted from the various batches of char in their treatment in the successive vats. After the extraction of salts from the freshchar in the first vat such char is subjected to a succession of treatments in the remaining vats until the salts have been entirely extracted from the char; whereupon as above indicated the liquor employed in the second and succeeding treatments is used as the extraction liquor for another batch of fresh char which has been delivered to the-first vat, and so on.

Inthe annexed drawing is illustrated a form of apparatus whereby my above described process can be economically and elliciently performed; such apparatus, however,

hopper is an upright overflow pipe 12 which commuincates by means of a conduit 13 with a suitably-located storage bin. The throat of the hopper is provided with a slide gate 14 which can be manually operated to permit the ready discharge. of predetermined quantities of char from the hopper into a di-. rectly underlying. extraction vat as will hereinafter appear. This vat is one of a series. In the present instance, I have illustrated four vats, designated 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, but the number of vats employed may be increased or decreased without departing from my invention. I have found, however, that satisfactory results can be obtained by the use of four extraction vats arranged at different levels and connected in successive order by pipes I5 having suitable valves 16 whereby communication between adjacent upper and lower vats can be opened or closed at will. Each of the vats is provided with an appropriate rotary stirrer 16 by means of which the contents of the vat can be effectually agitated.

- 17 designates a suitably-elevated cistern adapted to contain an adequate supply of hot water; the cistern being equipped w1th a coil 18 which is included in a circulating steam system. The steam supply pipe 19 .with which the coil is connected is provided with a suitable va1ve20 for regulating the supply of steam tothe coil. Leading from the bottom of the cistern to the top of the third vat 3 is a supply pipe 21 having a suitable regulating valve 22, whereby predetermined quantities of hot water can be delivered to the vat 3.

Preferably the bottoms of the respective vats are provided with jackets 23 through which hot water may be circulated for the purpose of efliciently heating the contents of the vats. These jackets are connected in suc cessive order bymeans of pipes 24; thejacket of the lowermost vat having a suitable inlet pipe 25 through which the hot water may be pumped into the jackets, and the jacket of the uppermost vat having a suitable outlet pipe 26 l ading o and discharging into the cistern. v

Leading into the top of the lowermost vat is a cold water supply pipe 27 having a suitable valve 28. r

1", 2, 3 and P designate four suitablylocated storage tanks into which solutions of salts are drained from the respective vats 1, 2, 3 and 4 through pipes 29, 30, 31 and 32 leading from the bottoms of the vats to the tops of the tanks, as illustrated, each of said pipes being provided with a regulating valve 33'. Within each of the tanks is a heating coil 34 which is conveniently included in the circulating steam system, a suitable regulatini valve 35 for the coil being provided.

eading from the second and third tanks 2 and 3 to the top of the first vat 1, and leading from the fourth tank 4* to the top of the second vat 2 are pipes 36, 37 38 respectively, in operative connection with suitably-located pumps 39, 40, 41 respectively, by means of which pumps 39, 40 the contents of saidsecond and third tanks may be pumped into the first vat. 1, and by means of which pump 41 the contents of the fourth tank 4 may be pumped into the second vat 2, aS desired.

The modus opemmli is as follows: At the outset solutions of salts are extracted from succeeding batches of char in the respective vats and such solutions are supplied to the tanks; that is to say, char is delivered to the vats in successive order; hot water is supplied from the cistern to the third vat, and the gate, valves and pumps are properly operated until the respective solutions in the tanks 2, 3, and 4 are of sufiicient strength toinsure the eflicient extraction treatment of each of asuccession of batches of char, as follows:

The gate 14 is opened and a predetermined quantity of char is discharged from the bin into the first extractor vat 1, which vat has been previously filled with a' volume of hot solut1on from the' second tank 2 equal to about three times the weight of the char. p

Y The mixture of char and solution contained in the vat 1 is thoroughly agitated by actuating the rotary stirrer therein. The mixture is then allowed to settle Within the vat, and the clear liquor is drained off as a saturated solution into the first tank 1 by way of the pipe 29. The char remaining in the first vat is now mixed with hot solution ffom the third tank 3 The contents of the vat is agitated and then flushed therefrom into the second vat 2 through the opening of the valve 16 in the pipe connection between the two vats. The mixture in the second vat is then allowed to settle, and the liquor is drained through pipe 30 into the second tank 2, to serve as the agent for the first extraction treatment of the next following batch of fresh char delivered from the bin to the first vat. After draining, the char remaining in the second v'at 2 is mixed with hot liquor pumped thereinto from the fourth tank 4*. The mixture of char and liquor in the second vat is then agitated, and is flushed therefrom into the next lower or third vat 3 by manipulation of the valve 16 in the pipe connection at the bottom of the second vat- The mixture is then allowed to settle in the third vat, and the liquor is drained through the adjacent pipe 31 into the third tank 3 for delivery to the first vat as above mentioned. The char remaining in the vat 3, is mixed with a volume of fresh hot water from the cistern 17, agitated and flushed through the opening of the valve 16 of the pipe connection at the bottom of said vat 3 into the lowermost vat 4. The mixture in the latter vat is allowed to settle therein, and the liquor is drained through pipe 32 into the tank 4* for delivery to the second vat as above stated. At this stage, the char in the vat 4', being practically free from salts, is mixed with a volume of cold water supplied by the pipe 27 and the mixture is flushed through a valve 16 at the bottom of the vat 4 into a car 42 by means of which it may be transported to a remotely-located storage bin or other place of deposit.-

The saturated solution of salts which is drained into the tank 1 from the first ex-' tractor vat 1, is drawn, as need may require, from this tank into suitable evaporating pans for concentration.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the characteristic feature of my invention comprises the extraction of salts from fresh char by the agency of liquor which has been used for several extractions on preceding batches of char; that is to say instead of transferring the solutions In one extractor to another extractor continuously down the line, which would change the order of extraction in each specific ex-- tractor, the process is such that the contents of one extractor is flushed into another in such a manner that the first extraction of the salts from each fresh batch of char always takes place in the first extractor and the second extraction in the second extractor, and so on; the first extraction being effected by liquor which has been used in the treatment of preceding batches of char.

,7 I claim- 1. A process for obtaining alkali salts from kelp char, in the performance of which each of a succession of batches of char is subjected to a series of extraction treatments, comprising mixing extraction liquor with each fresh batch of char; allowing the mixture to settle and separating the more or less saturated liquor therefrom for concentration then mixing extraction liquor 18c with the batch and repeating the settling and separating operations, and so on until the batch is practically free from salts, the liquor resulting from the second and $110 ceeding extractions being used for the first extraction treatment on each fresh batch of char, and each batch as its treatment progresses being flushed into successive stations by extraction liquor.

2. A process for obtaining alkali salts from kelp char, in the performance of which each of a succession of batches of char is subjected to a series of liquid extraction treatments, comprising mixing extraction liquor with each fresh batch of char at a primary station; allowing the mixture to settle; separating the liquor therefrom for concentration; mixing extraction liquor n th the remaining char in the primary station and flushing the mixture into a second station, and therein repeating the settling, separating, mixing and flushing operations, and so on in succeeding stations until the char is Practically free from salts; the extraction liquor before its admixture with the fresh batch of char having been used in the flushing and extracting operations upon preceding batches of char.

Signed. at the city and county of Oswego' and State of New York this 7th day of August A. D. 1916.

FREDERICK VAN BIKE QBUSER. 

